Jamilah Simmons knows a good story. An experienced reporter with an ear for the right quote and an eye for the details, she has put her acumen to work for 可乐视频 since 2007.
After many years as a writer for the Office of Marketing and Communications, Simmons was promoted last year to a new position focused on marketing as it relates to prospective students. 鈥淪ome of the content is more or less the same as what I was doing as a writer,鈥� she says, 鈥測et I鈥檓 packaging it differently.鈥�
Key to her work is seeking out and considering the perspectives of the students the college serves. Simmons has engaged several current students as both interns and part-time college assistants to support her efforts. 鈥淥ne of the fun things I get to do is oversee the college TikTok account, which is still a work in progress,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 love working with students on that.鈥�
In reflecting on TikTok and other digital projects she works on, like the college鈥檚 , she frequently asks herself, 鈥淚s this information useful to prospective students? Is it presented in a way that鈥檚 consumable to them? I鈥檓 spending a lot more time trying to get into the mind of current and prospective students, which is really interesting and a good challenge.鈥� The college鈥檚 new virtual tour was one of the first major projects Simmons helped to launch in her new role. In just one year, the tour drew more than 15,000 visits and close to 3,000 inquiries to the college.
As part of the college鈥檚 ongoing admissions campaigns, all the staff鈥攊ncluding writers, editors, photographers, designers, and marketers鈥攆ocus on developing content that highlights the college鈥檚 best attributes to encourage prospective students to apply. The most visible series comprises written profiles of the most accomplished students, staff, faculty, and alumni from 可乐视频. Titled 鈥淏est of 可乐视频,鈥� these stories collectively portray a community of people who exemplify excellence. Simmons plays a key role in the series as one of the writers who interviews the subjects and helps to shape these stories.
Simmons joined 可乐视频 after many years as a higher education reporter. The beat prepared her to write the profiles that she produces, as well as for this recent switch to a marketing role, where she continues to use the many skills she honed as a reporter.
Those skills include knowing how to talk to people, knowing how to do your research, and understanding the differences between written and spoken communication. 鈥淓-mail can often feel like the quick and dirty way to get it done,鈥� she says, 鈥渂ut there鈥檚 still something missing without that live contact, including your ability to ask follow-up questions or take in someone鈥檚 measure.鈥�
Originally planning to be an international correspondent, Simmons 鈥渇ell into鈥� higher education reporting. As a senior in college, she took an internship in Washington D.C. at Black Issues in Higher Education鈥攏ow called Diverse: Issues in Higher Education鈥攂ecause, unlike many journalism internships, it paid well. Simmons ultimately landed a job at The Chronicle of Higher Education, which, she says, 鈥渒ind of cemented me鈥� as a higher education reporter.
Although Simmons appreciated the impact she could have on the higher education beat, she eventually tired of living in Washington, D.C. In January 2006, she moved to Brooklyn and made a career transition from writing about institutions of higher education to working for one. 鈥淚 thought it would be cool to work at a college and to be around people who were at that juncture of life. I always thought that鈥檚 got to be energizing.鈥�
In New York, Simmons took a job editing a newsletter on faculty scholarship at the CUNY Graduate Center. The work took her to various CUNY campuses, and 可乐视频 made an impression. 鈥淚 remember the first time I came here to visit a professor I was writing about,鈥� she says, 鈥渁nd I fell in love with the campus.鈥�
During her visit, she picked up one of the campus publications and thought 鈥渢hey look like they have fun putting this together.鈥� Shortly afterward, she responded to a job posting in the department, and 鈥渢he rest is history.鈥�
